23 February 1917 (8 March in today’s calendar) marked the beginning of the socialist revolution in Russia, which sparked a revolutionary wave that would travel around the world. In the Socialist (paper of the Socialist Party) in 2007, Socialist Party (CWI in England & Wales) general secretary Peter Taaffe analysed the lessons of...
War, hunger, hated Tsarist regime: class tensions reach breaking point.
The following article from the new site, 1917revolution.org is the first of a series of articles that analyse and explain, month by month, the stormy events of the revolutionary year of the Russian revolution. The first in the series, by Niall...
1917revolution.org brings rich lessons of 100 years ago to wide audience.
For Marxists, the October 1917 revolution in Russia was the greatest single event in human history, so far. Tsarist rule ended in February 1917, and capitalism and...
Preparing for revolution.
When the Russian revolution began in February 1917, leading revolutionaries, including Leon Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin, were in exile. Commentating from afar they sought to influence events, while planning their return. In the meantime, the Russian government was headed by right-wing...
Defending the legacy in a new era.
The year 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the Russian revolution. The 1917 revolution stands out as the greatest event in history – so far – though its significance has undoubtedly been tarnished and obscured by the grotesque degeneration of the Soviet Union and the...
Everything to play for in 2017.
2016 was the year when the pent-up anger of the masses worldwide finally spilled over in a series of political earthquakes - a delayed reaction to the devastating world economic crisis of 2007-08. And tremors are still being felt, with serious aftershocks – if not new earthquakes...
Jack London’s timeless classic.
Jack London, the socialist author, died one hundred years ago on 22 November 1916. Probably his most well-known book, The Iron Heel, describes an epic struggle against brutal capitalism. Although fictional, contemporary events form the backdrop. The book was published in 1907,...
November 7th anniversary of workers’ taking power.
Today (7 November) on the 99th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, we republish an overview of the momentous year by Clare Doyle, which was first published on this site in November 2014.
The decline of British imperialism and rise of the colonial revolution.
Sixty years ago Egyptian president Colonel Nasser's proclamation of the nationalisation of the Suez Canal was an electrifying rallying call for the country's working class and poor and throughout the Middle East. Britain's Tory government, along with...
When workers fought arms in hand to end Stalinist dictatorship.
On October 23rd, 1956, a mass demonstration in Budapest opened up twelve days of unprecedented revolutionary struggle. To mark the 60th anniversary of these dramatic events, the CWI is re-publishing, in the form of a small pamphlet, two articles written...
US ‘deep state’ under the spotlight.
“It’s not about terrorism,” says Edward Snowden in Oliver Stone’s latest movie, “Terrorism is just the excuse. It’s about social and economic control.”
Review of "The Life and Death of Leon Trotsky", published in the latest issue of Socialism Today
